Yan Tongshu thought for a moment, then said, “Young Master, this ball is made of scraps of cloth. It isn’t very fine, and it’s quite small. It’s suitable for cats and dogs to play with. As it happens, I have a cat at home.”
“What a coincidence. I have one at home too—snow-white and soft, far more refined and beautiful than certain people’s.”
Qin Yi tossed the ball to Lu Xi. “Keep it safe. Don’t lose it.”
Yan Tongshu glared angrily at Qin Yi.
Stealing her ball was bad enough, but he had even insulted Yuanzi.
Her Yuanzi was a calico cat! A calico!
Did he know how highly calicos ranked in the feline world?
She was practically the Xi Shi of cats!
How infuriating. How could someone be so lacking in taste and refinement as to call her Yuanzi ugly? What an unappreciative dog emperor!
Yan Tongshu took a deep breath and decided to fight it out with the dog emperor.
Then she forced a smile onto her face. “Young Master, there’ll be a molten-iron flower performance in the open area tonight. It’s very pretty.”
Pearl and Jinbao watched Yan Tongshu acting as obsequiously as possible, their pupils practically trembling in shock.
Their young master had gone mad.
Yan Tongshu hurried after Qin Yi. “Young Master, after the molten-iron flower show, there’ll be a bonfire party. Later tonight, the court will set off fireworks all together. It’ll be great fun.”
Qin Yi refused to go, so Yan Tongshu moved in front of him and clasped her hands. “Please go, Young Master. It’s super fun. Really.”
Seeing Qin Yi’s expression soften slightly, Yan Tongshu dragged him over to join the queue. The craftsmen performing the molten-iron flower show were making their final preparations.
At last, the performance began.
On the broad open ground, a loud bang rang out, and glowing red molten iron was flung into the sky.
The sparks scattered in every direction, golden stars raining down from above like a blazing meteor shower.
In addition to the most traditional “fire tree and silver flowers,” there were fire dragons weaving through the air, as well as spinning showers of sparks resembling a Ferris wheel.
The night was illuminated as brightly as day.
Yan Tongshu clapped until her hands hurt. It was simply too magnificent, too incredible.
She turned her head, her face illuminated by the dancing flames, and smiled brightly at Qin Yi. “Young Master, isn’t it beautiful?”
Qin Yi’s gaze lingered on Yan Tongshu’s face, bright beneath the glow of the flames. After a moment, he shifted his eyes away. “It’s nothing special.”
Yan Tongshu clenched her fists again.
She wanted to hit him.
She really wanted to smash her fist—big enough to serve as a sandbag—into Qin Yi’s face.
She took a deep breath.
Then another.
And yet another.
She was beneath someone else’s roof, so she had no choice but to bow her head.
Stay calm. Stay calm.
When asking for a favor, one had to have the right attitude.
Yan Tongshu continued clapping and did her best to smile. “Young Master, the craftsmen have put in so much hard work. Even if you don’t credit them, you should at least applaud a little to encourage them.”
Only then did Qin Yi raise his hands slightly and give two perfunctory claps.
After watching the molten-iron flower show, the two of them watched the bonfire party as well. Then Yan Tongshu led Qin Yi to a quiet spot and sat down.
The pavilion was filled with people taking a break. Whether they knew one another or not, everyone brought out all sorts of food to share while chatting.
At the hour of the Boar, the fireworks set off by the court rose into the sky right on schedule.
Red, green, white, and blue, they bloomed in clusters across the dark heavens with booming explosions.
They were like the sudden arrival of the Spring Goddess, urging a riot of flowers to burst into bloom and compete for beauty.
They were also like a golden phoenix spreading its wings, touring the mortal world and scattering dazzling starlight across the earth.
They were breathtakingly beautiful.
After a long while, the final fireworks faded, as if bringing a grand composition to its magnificent conclusion.
For some reason, Yan Tongshu felt a little melancholy.
Ah, so the Lantern Festival was really over.
Yan Tongshu and Qin Yi walked side by side back toward the street. Beyond this point, there would be no more festivities.
Yan Tongshu shook her head, casting off that trace of sadness, and did her best to put on a cheerful smile. “Young Master, we’ve had a very pleasant time together today.”
Qin Yi gave her a cool look. “Have we?”
“I think we’ve gotten along pretty well.”
“Your opinion of yourself is quite flattering.”
Yan Tongshu laughed. “That has always been one of my virtues.”
Qin Yi was so annoyed by her shamelessness that he actually laughed.
Yan Tongshu clasped her hands together. “Young Master, look, we’ve gotten along so well today. Doesn’t that mean our little dispute at the Kaifeng Prefecture a very, very, very long time ago can be considered water under the bridge?”
Qin Yi raised an eyebrow slightly. “Only the incident at the Kaifeng Prefecture?”
Yan Tongshu tilted her head and looked at him in bewilderment, as if asking whether there had been another one.
Qin Yi was also taken aback for a moment.
Had Yan Tongshu truly not remembered that drunken incident, when she had shown such outrageous disrespect?
Qin Yi frowned. “What exactly are you trying to do?”
Yan Tongshu tried her best to arrange her features into a gentle, benevolent smile. “Today is the Lantern Festival. I heard the Lantern Goddess will grant one wish to her believers. As Your Highness’s subject, I don’t believe in such deceptive superstitions. I only believe in you, Young Master.”
Lu Xi, who was waiting nearby, instinctively touched the red paper in his robe—the one on which Yan Tongshu had written her wish to the Lantern Goddess.
Yan Tongshu gazed at Qin Yi expectantly. Her expression was exactly like that of a loyal and upright minister awaiting the decision of a wise ruler.
Lu Xi glanced at her and marveled inwardly. Lord Yan’s acting was in no way inferior to that of the old foxes in the court who had spent decades immersed in officialdom.
Qin Yi raised an eyebrow. “And?”
“Can you grant me one wish, Young Master?”
She wants to return to the Xianlin Academy? Dream on.
Qin Yi was just about to refuse flatly when Yan Tongshu took out her purse and poured out a string of five old copper coins tied together with red cord. The refusal caught in his throat.
The “false” performance vanished from Yan Tongshu’s face. She looked at Qin Yi with utmost seriousness. “Young Master, can I use the five coppers you gave me to buy a wish from you?”
Yan Tongshu lowered her head and respectfully raised the five coins above it with both hands.
Qin Yi pressed his thin lips together. “What wish?”
If Yan Tongshu dared say she wanted to return to the Xianlin Academy, he would send her there for the rest of her life.
Yan Tongshu’s voice was low. “Young Master, the Nine Provinces and Four Seas are all your territory, and all under heaven are your subjects. Half of them are men, and the other half are women. Please give that other half a little more room to live.”
After Yan Tongshu finished speaking, she waited for a while. She assumed Qin Yi was going to refuse, but suddenly the weight in her hands lightened.
Qin Yi reached out and took the string of coins. He untied the red cord he himself had knotted, removed one coin, then retied the string and placed it back in Yan Tongshu’s palm.
“Since I happen to be in a good mood today.”
With that, Qin Yi turned and walked away.
As he passed her, Lu Xi gave Yan Tongshu a bow before hurrying after Qin Yi in quick, mincing steps.
Yan Tongshu lifted her head and stared at the four copper coins in her palm.
Why had he taken only one? What did that mean?
She thought about it for a while but couldn’t figure it out, so she stopped trying.
Someone like Qin Yi, who dealt in politics, had thoughts that were complicated and unfathomable. Anyone foolish enough to seriously guess at them was only making trouble for themselves.
In any case, he had agreed.
Yan Tongshu put the copper coins back into her purse. “Come on, Pearl, Jinbao. Let’s go home. It’s so cold. I’ve been smiling politely all night, and my cheeks are stiff.”
Pearl and Jinbao happily answered, “Yes!”
By the time the carriage arrived home, Yan Tongshu was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open.
She was planning to wash up and go straight to bed when the steward had someone carry over a chest.
“Young Master.”
Yan Tongshu yawned and asked, “What is it?”
The steward reported, “Young Master, this was sent by the Meng Residence. They said it was the Lantern Festival gift promised to you.”
The Meng Residence?
When Yan Tongshu opened the chest, she found an exquisite nine-tailed fox lantern beyond compare.
The lantern had been cleverly folded inside the chest. Once taken out and unfolded, it was roughly as long as a person and half as wide.
Inside the lantern was a row of candle stands, along with mechanisms similar to those in a revolving lantern.
Yan Tongshu had the steward light the candles.
As the heat from the flames rose, the mechanism slowly began to move. One by one, the nine long tails swayed gently, as if they were alive.
The fox’s eyes were even more astonishing. No matter what angle one viewed them from, they seemed to be looking directly at whoever was watching.
It was so lifelike, it seemed real.
Yan Tongshu was stunned on the spot, unable to move for quite some time.
Oh my heavens!
There was actually a lantern this exquisite—far more delicate, magnificent, and marvelous than any of the lanterns she had seen that evening.
This was no lantern. It was plainly a work of art.
Yan Tongshu immediately understood why Meng Zheng had not believed she could make lanterns back then.
The lantern she had been talking about and the lantern Meng Zheng had imagined were simply on entirely different levels.
After thinking for a moment, Yan Tongshu asked the steward, “Did the people from the Meng residence say who sent it? Was it Meng Zheng or Madame Meng?”
The steward shook his head. “They claimed to be servants from the Meng residence and did not say whose orders they were carrying out.”
“All right. I understand.”
Yan Tongshu dismissed the steward, then sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the enormous, lifelike nine-tailed fox.
An incense stick later, she grew sleepy. She blew out the candles, washed up, and went to bed.
As for where to put such a large lantern, she would think about it tomorrow.
Still, since she had received a lantern, she ought to send a return gift.
But what should she give?
…
At midnight, the noise of the day had faded, and the deep night was silent.
In Funing Palace, layer upon layer of curtains hung low.
Qin Yi sat on the imperial couch, turning an old copper coin over in his hand.
The coin was very old. Its surface was rough, and one corner was even missing. It was not smooth or perfectly round in the slightest.
He let out a sigh.
Yan Tongshu, oh Yan Tongshu.
I tested you during the case involving the Grand Princess, and now you’ve set me a difficult riddle.
The riddle is clear now: Give the other half a little more room to live.
But what is the answer?
The next morning, Qin Yi rose.
Since it was the New Year holiday, the emperor was celebrating as well and did not need to attend the morning court.
Qin Yi ordered Lu Xi to investigate what had happened recently with the two Yan sisters.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Lu Xi replied.
Qin Yi was trying to guess the answer to the riddle, but Yan Tongshu herself did not know what it was.
At the same time, Yan Tongshu was fretting over what kind of return gift would be worthy of such an incredibly, incredibly, incredibly exquisite lantern.
What a headache.
An ordinary gift would certainly not be good enough.
Meng Zheng was a military general, so perhaps she could find him an unparalleled divine weapon.
Yan Tongshu pondered this with a troubled expression.
If she could find such an unrivaled weapon, would the Meng family not be able to find one themselves?
Then perhaps she could improve a weapon.
Yan Tongshu searched through the weapon-related knowledge in her mind, and her face went blank.
Her doctoral studies and medical residency had already drained every ounce of her energy. She knew absolutely nothing about weapons.
Just as Yan Tongshu’s mind was running dry, Lady Yan sent her personal attendant to remind her that the whole family would be going to Jixiang Mountain tomorrow to burn incense and pray for blessings. She absolutely must not sleep in. Arriving late would be a great disrespect to the Bodhisattva.
Jixiang Mountain.
The imperial temple.
The abbot of Xiangguo Temple on Jixiang Mountain, Master Yuanhui, was a renowned Buddhist master who had even received an honor from the late emperor.
Prayer beads blessed by him were practically impossible to come by.
They were treasures among treasures.
However, it seemed that Master Yuanhui had not blessed a string of prayer beads or performed a religious ceremony for several years.
That was all right.
Yan Tongshu encouraged herself. At worst, if Master Yuanhui refused, she simply would not leave. She would stay there and wear him down.
No, that was not the right way to put it.
This was an imperial temple. She could not behave recklessly.
She would call it a discussion of Buddhist teachings, a debate on doctrine, an exploration of karmic affinity with the Buddha.
Besides, Master Yuanhui happened to come out every year around this time to discuss Buddhist teachings. She could use that opportunity to make her request.
Ha ha ha.
The little figure in Yan Tongshu’s heart planted her hands on her hips and laughed triumphantly.
The following day, before dawn, Yan Tongshu rose early to wash up and eat breakfast.
This time, she shared a carriage with Lady Yan, Yan Liangyu, Yan Liangrong, and Zheng Ke.
The maids and servants rode in the two carriages behind them.
After traveling for roughly an hour and a half, the carriage finally reached the foot of Jixiang Mountain. Another hour later, they arrived at the stone steps.
From there onward, all pilgrims had to get out and climb the mountain on foot to demonstrate their sincerity.
Every year, the Yan family came to Jixiang Mountain to burn incense and pray for blessings, so everyone knew the rules. They had changed into non-slip cotton shoes early that morning.
Yan Tongshu got out first, then helped Lady Yan and Yan Liangyu down.
Yan Liangrong, meanwhile, helped the maids out before lifting Zheng Ke down herself.
Well-behaved Zheng Ke took Yan Liangrong’s hand. “Mother, I’ll offer my first stick of incense to you and Father later and ask the Bodhisattva to bless you both with good health and long lives.”
Children were always reluctant to see their parents separate.
Especially since Yan Liangrong had made the decision to divorce her husband at a time when the family atmosphere had been at its happiest, most harmonious, and warmest.
Yan Liangrong smiled and tightened her grip on Zheng Ke’s hand. This was not a suitable place to discuss family matters with him, what with all the people coming and going.
In time, he would naturally come to accept it.
Yan Liangyu supported Lady Yan as they walked in the middle, while Yan Tongshu and Yan Liangrong walked on either side.
Xiangguo Temple on Jixiang Mountain was an imperial temple, and many officials and commoners came to worship there. It was especially crowded on the first day of the New Year. Some people had even fought until their heads were bleeding in their attempts to offer the first incense.
Later, the abbot decided that such behavior was deeply disrespectful to the Bodhisattva. Thus, from the first to the fifth day of the New Year, Xiangguo Temple stopped accepting visitors.
From then on, people came to Jixiang Mountain to pray on this day instead.
Although the date had changed, the crowds remained so dense that there was hardly room to breathe.
Yan Tongshu walked carefully, doing her best to avoid the crowds.
Jixiang Mountain was high, and the snow was thick. Although the stone steps had been cleared, a great deal of ice remained, making them extremely slippery.
Just as Yan Tongshu was thinking this, someone ahead of them slipped.
It was an exceptionally beautiful woman, particularly her skin, which was so pale that it seemed entirely devoid of color.
She wore a thick coat patterned with white snow and red plum blossoms, along with a snow-white cloak. Her bearing was aloof and proud, like a plum blossom standing in the biting winter cold.
Fortunately, Ning Yuan, who was walking behind her, caught her.
Once she had regained her footing, she immediately let go and gave him a graceful, perfectly proper bow. “Thank you, Prince Ning.”
Ning Yuan smiled faintly. “Miss Wang, please watch your step.”
Wang Yuyan gave a slight nod and carefully continued forward with the support of her maid.
A young girl who had been walking beside Ning Yuan the entire time was charming and radiant. She wore a red padded coat with a white skirt beneath it, and her cloak was red as well. She was as dazzling as a ball of fire.
She glared viciously at Wang Yuyan’s back, then reached out to take Ning Yuan’s arm.
“Brother Ning Yuan!”
She puffed up her cheeks and said, “I saw it just now. Sister knew you were behind her and deliberately pretended to fall.”
Ning Yuan discreetly freed his arm from the girl’s grasp. “In a public place, such words would damage another person’s reputation. You must not make reckless accusations.”
With that, Ning Yuan picked up his pace.
The girl angrily clenched the handkerchief in her hand, muttered, “That painted vixen,” and hurried after him.
Yan Tongshu tilted her head.
So that was the eldest Miss Wang, who was engaged to Ning Yuan, the heir of the Earl of Yuguo?
Yan Tongshu tugged at Yan Liangyu, who had noticed it as well and nodded. “The person who has been following Prince Ning all this time is the Wang family’s second daughter, Wang Chuning. At first, Prince Ning didn’t know that the second Miss Wang wasn’t the legitimate daughter to whom he was betrothed, so he defended her at every turn. As a result, the second Miss Wang has always considered herself the Heir’s Consort of Yuguo. Now that the real fiancée has returned and Prince Ning knows the truth, he wants to sever ties with her. Unfortunately, the second Miss Wang… Sigh…”
Yan Liangyu suddenly thought of herself.
How had she been so bewitched back then? She had insisted on living and dying for someone who didn’t care about her.
The second Miss Wang was the same.
Although Prince Ning was acknowledged throughout Bianjing as a man of impeccable character and appearance, she herself was no less outstanding. If she broadened her horizons, with parents who doted on her, how could she fail to find a good husband? Why insist on becoming entangled with her elder sister’s fiancé?
Yan Liangyu sighed. Once the second Miss Wang came to her senses, she would probably be just like her, looking back on the past and wondering how she could ever have been such a fool.
Yan Tongshu smiled. “Who doesn’t do a few foolish things when they’re young? It’ll pass once that phase is over.”
Yan Liangyu shot Yan Tongshu an annoyed look. “Big Brother, are you comforting me or making fun of me?”
Yan Tongshu laughed. “Naturally, I’m teasing you for being foolish in your youth.”
“Big Brother!” Yan Liangyu grew flustered.
Seeing the two of them bickering, Lady Yan couldn’t help smiling pleasantly. “All right, Tongshu. With your temperament, don’t really provoke Liangyu into a fit. Both of you watch your footing. If you fall later, Liangrong and I aren’t waiting for you.”
“Yes.”
Yan Tongshu and Yan Liangyu answered in unison. They stopped their playful scuffling and continued climbing with smiles on their faces.
At last, they reached the summit.
Yan Tongshu braced her hands on her knees and panted heavily.
Her stamina really was worse than Lady Yan’s.
After climbing the mountain, she was exhausted to the point of collapse, while Lady Yan’s face wasn’t even flushed. Apart from the fine sheen of sweat on her forehead, there was no sign that she had climbed at all.
Lady Yan and Yan Liangrong turned to look at Yan Tongshu and Yan Liangyu, who were both utterly worn out.
Yan Liangrong teased, “Tongshu, Liangyu, the two of you need to exercise more once you get home.”
Yan Tongshu and Yan Liangyu no longer had the strength to speak. They exchanged a glance and weakly shook their heads.
Jinbao and Pearl each supported one of Yan Tongshu’s arms as she stepped across the temple gate.
Not far ahead, a young novice monk was distributing tea.
Many cups of clear tea had been placed on a yellow cloth patterned with the Buddhist wan symbol. Pilgrims who had struggled up the mountain could help themselves according to their needs.
Yan Tongshu quickly drank two cups. Once she had caught her breath and straightened her clothes, she formally entered the Hall of Reception with Lady Yan and the others.
After entering, they first received incense from a young novice monk and went to the Mahavira Hall to worship.
The Mahavira Hall enshrined Shakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, and the Medicine Buddha.
Yan Tongshu knew nothing about Buddhist teachings. Every time, she simply followed Lady Yan: whichever Buddha Lady Yan worshiped, she worshiped as well.
After they had finished paying respects to all the bodhisattvas in each hall, Lady Yan went, as usual, to listen to the chanting of the scriptures. With a wave of her hand, she told Yan Tongshu and the other two to wander around on their own.
The temple offered an experience where visitors could prepare vegetarian food, so Yan Liangrong took Zheng Ke to make spring cakes with the young monks.
Since this was an imperial temple, Yan Tongshu also let Jinbao and Pearl go off and enjoy themselves. She went with Yan Liangyu to hang blessing ribbons.
In the center of Xiangguo Temple stood a glazed pagoda. In front of it grew an ancient tree said to be a thousand years old. Every year around this time, men, women, young, and old would hang a blessing ribbon on the tree to pray for good fortune.
A blessing ribbon was a bright-yellow silk ribbon covered in Buddhist scriptures.
The scriptures were all copied by hand by the monks of the temple. They were not only expensive but also available in limited quantities.
Fortunately, Yan Tongshu and Yan Liangyu managed to obtain two of the last four ribbons.
The two of them happily came to the ancient tree.
The bell of the ancient temple rang out, its distant sound steeped in the passage of time.
Yan Tongshu placed the blessing ribbon in her palm, pressed her hands together, and made a wish: Bodhisattva, please bless me with smooth sailing and abundant wealth throughout the coming year. For my entire life, may no one discover that I’m a woman disguised as a man. Please.
After finishing her prayer, Yan Tongshu carefully tied the ribbon to a branch and even knotted it tightly, ensuring that the Bodhisattva couldn’t go back on the promise.
Yan Liangyu was stunned by Yan Tongshu’s actions. After thinking it over, she tied her own ribbon in an equally tight knot.
Yan Tongshu asked, “What did you wish for?”
Yan Liangyu smiled softly. “I hope Mother and Mama remain healthy this year, and that our Yan family stays safe and harmonious.”
Yan Tongshu smiled. “Then your wish is much the same as mine—”
Yan Liangyu pointed ahead. “Big Brother, let’s go look at the merit wall over there.”
Yan Tongshu nodded.
Every temple had a merit wall, listing the names and donations of benefactors who had contributed money to build and maintain the temple.
Whenever the Yan family came to Xiangguo Temple to pray, they donated incense money as they did every year. In keeping with tradition, Xiangguo Temple would present them with a few commemorative gifts in return—usually one or two scripture books and a string of agarwood prayer beads carved by the temple’s own master craftsmen.
Yan Tongshu and Yan Liangyu came every year, so they were already familiar with every corner of Xiangguo Temple.
The two of them began scanning the merit wall to see which new names had been added that year, simply for something fresh to look at.
At that moment, a small commotion suddenly broke out near the place where the blessing ribbons were handed out.
People crowded around it.
Yan Tongshu was bored, so she tugged at Yan Liangyu. “Come on. Let’s go see what’s happening.”
Yan Liangyu shook her head. Big Brother and Mother really couldn’t resist a bit of excitement.
The two of them quietly slipped into the crowd.
Only the last two blessing ribbons remained. From the discussions around her, Yan Tongshu could vaguely piece together what had happened.
Apparently, when only two ribbons were left, Ning Yuan took both. One was for his concubine, Tantai Mingzhu, who was seven months pregnant. He had just been about to hand the other to Wang Yuyan when Wang Chuning suddenly snatched it away and gave Ning Yuan a sweet smile.
“Thank you, Brother Ning Yuan. How did you know I wanted one?”
Wang Yuyan’s expression darkened. “I didn’t realize the blessing ribbon was meant for my younger sister. If I had known, Elder Sister wouldn’t have wanted it.”
Ning Yuan could no longer maintain his genial expression. He stiffened and told Wang Chuning to hand it over.
Wang Chuning pouted and refused. “Brother Ning Yuan, you said that you would only ever cherish me in this lifetime.”
Wang Yuyan let out a cold laugh. “The second Miss Chuning must have remembered incorrectly. What Prince Ning said at the time was that he would only cherish his fiancée. If you hadn’t impersonated Prince Ning’s fiancée back then, he might never have been willing to give you a second glance.”
The two sides traded barbs, neither willing to yield.
That was when Yan Tongshu and Yan Liangyu arrived.
The argument had given Ning Yuan a headache. When he looked up and saw Yan Tongshu standing in the crowd, his expression changed at once.
Lord Yan of the Kaifeng Prefecture was here, while his fiancée and his fiancée’s younger sister were quarreling over a blessing ribbon in full view of the public. Ning Yuan suddenly felt his face burning with embarrassment.
He only hoped that these two women wouldn’t cause any more trouble.
Ning Yuan pulled a stern face and glared at Wang Chuning, his voice cold. “Second Miss Wang, please stop making a scene. This blessing ribbon is for the future lady of the Yuguo Earl’s Residence.”
Ning Yuan’s resolute attitude hurt Wang Chuning. She shoved Wang Yuyan viciously and snarled, “Wang Yuyan, don’t get so smug. I’m telling you, I won’t let you off! The person Brother Ning Yuan likes is me.”
With that, Wang Chuning roughly pushed through the crowd and ran off in grief.
Ning Yuan gave Wang Yuyan an awkward smile. “My apologies, the eldest Miss Wang. I mistook someone else for you. It was my mistake.”
It was obvious that Wang Yuyan had feelings for Ning Yuan. She lowered her lashes and said softly, “A mistake is a mistake, Prince Ning. You needn’t blame yourself so much.”
Then she looked up at him, her eyes gentle, as though they held a pool of spring water.
Ning Yuan was just about to hand the blessing ribbon to Wang Yuyan when a slender, fair hand seized his arm.
“Prince.”
Tantai Mingzhu gently stroked her seven-month-old belly and smiled. “There are two of us—you and me, and the baby. Since you’ve given me one, shouldn’t you leave one for the child as well?”
After speaking to Ning Yuan, she cast a sidelong glance at Wang Yuyan and provoked her, “Miss Wang is known for her poise and generosity. Surely you won’t mind.”
The two women’s gazes clashed like blades, sparks flying between them.
Wang Yuyan nearly ground her teeth to pieces.
